The transforming methods of collaboration and social work practice research

1

MIRJA SATKA, LAURA YLIRUKA,

HEIDI MUURINEN, KATI PALSANEN,

AINO KÄÄRIÄINEN

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI & HEIKKI WARIS INSTITUTE AT SOCCA, HUS

NEW YORK JUNE 11TH, 2014

The transforming methods of collaboration and social work practice research

M I R J A S A T K A

2

The transforming methods of collaboration and social work

practice research

Background for the birth of the Finnish model of Social Work Practice Research

The need for clinical (practical) training as an element in social work MA education was widely discussed since 1972.

1986-86 City and University of Helsinki had a joint research program ’Social worker as knowledge producer’ with the aim to gain practice-based knowledge for a social political strategy of the City (1989) followed by the joint planning of Heikki Waris institute (2000)for the development of urban social work.

3

Mutual interests behind Heikki Waris institute,

founded 2000 (Kananoja 2010)

University: need for a new structure which can intermediate in the social relations of research, teaching and social work practices.

City: need for knowledge and innovations in urban social issues; need for skilled social work practitioners .

Social work profession: need for new methods for transforming urban social work practices.

4

Heikki Waris Institute

HWI aims 1) to combine the transformation of urban social work practices and 2) research activities with 3) the university education of professional social workers.

In this context, Social Work Practice Research means knowledge production arising from social work practices; it includes the cyclic processes of co-development, co-research and co-learning.

5

The Web of collaboration partners in social work practice research at HWI

Managers Politicians

Work-teams at Social Welfare Agencies

Students Citizens & Communities

Practice teachers at SW Agencies

University teachers & professors

Service users

Experts by experience

6

H E I D I M U U R I N E N

Experimenting – A Method of Collaboration in Social

Work Pratice Research

7

Background

”We shape the buildings and the buildings shape us.”

-Winston Churchill

”We shape the buildings and the building shape us.”

-Winston Churchill

8

What is experimenting and prototyping?

Used in industrial design and in service-design

Starts by defining the big problem to be solved or the aim to be reached – dream big!

Designing an experiment that 1) tests a hypothesis or

2) helps to collect more ideas to solve one part of the problem

Visualizing the idea into a protype – trying out small!

9

Process of iteration

An experiment

10

An experiment An experiment

Based on Pragmatism

Experience is created in the interaction with environment

When we act, the environment responds and we experience this responce

When our action is disturbed, we need to reflect our habits/action

11

How can this be used in social work practice research?

Six cases during the project Data consists of 7 employees interviews and 6 service

users short interviews

12

Conlusions of experimenting as a method of collaboration

Quick, flexible, motivating, realistic to carry out

Changes the practice

Eases participation and collaboration

Enables co-learning process

Reveals the human and non-human agency: makes it possible to research actants you cannot interview

Provides different kind of knowledge than questionnaires or interviews

13

Conclusions of experimenting as a method of collaboration

Requires:

Leadership of the process

Commitment of the unit

Understanding the method (failing is succeeding and small is big)

Continuum and iteration

14

Thank you!

HEIDI MUURINEN

PHD STUDENT

UNIVERISTY OF HELSINKI

HEIDI.MUURINEN@HELSINKI.FI

15

K A T I P A L S A N E N

Collaborative knowledge creation – How can we increase collaborative

knowledge creation with clients?

16

Background of the project idea

The idea was discovered in a former practice research project between social workers and clients.

Clients were empowered by the opportunity to be heard and to make a difference with their own experiences.

Can this kind of collaborative approach become a tool to develop social work in child protection and adult social work services?

17

18

Pilot communities

• Immigrant mothers Pilot 1

Adult social work

• Young adults Pilot 2

Adult social work

• Young people • Parents

Pilot 3

Child protection

• Young people Pilot 4

Child protection

• Parents Pilot 5

Child protection

The principles of collaborative knowledge creation

acting within a relationship

voluntary participation

Empowerment

equal and open expertise

Trust

cooperation and co-planning

influencing

ethics

19

Findings

From clients’ viewpoint: collaborative knowledge development is empowering. It increases control over their lives and improves their self-image and self-esteem.

They have reported changes, such as increased willingness to go to school or to work.

They even see themselves as citizens in a new light; they do not feel any longer ‘clients’ but also, and primarily, experts by experience.

The most important findings: the action itself, from their viewpoint, it is the most effective social work.

20

Findings

The activities have also effectively influenced the professionals, experts and politicians who have worked with these service users and listened to them.

Working with the service users has sparked a new kind of professional developments in social workers, who have reported that their well-being at work has increased significantly.

21

Conclusions

We consider collaborative knowledge creation as social innovation

It is crossing the traditional boundaries in the field of social work and welfare services

It promotes innovative democracy

It challenges social workers - and more!

22

L A U R A Y L I R U K A

How do we teach Practice Research in collaborative relationships for MA social work students?

23

The question behind practice research course:

How should the we teach the research methodological and professional skills and competencies, in order to create dynamic and alive relationship and forum for university teaching and social work agencies for knowledge creation purposes? (Kääriäinen 2012, Karvinen-Niinikoski 2005)

24

• Practice research study unit is part of Master´s degree in Social Work.

• The unit is equivalent to 16 credits and the work takes about 8 to 10 months to be completed.

• The study period contains four phases: 1) lectures of doing practice research and making a study plan, 2) students gather research data during a two-month collaborative practice research period and 3) students write a research report 4) the results are shared in different collaborative forums.

• A further goal and objective is to strengthen research mindedness in our students.

25

How is practice research taught

at the University of Helsinki?

Knowledge aquisation metaphor

Participation Metaphor Wenger (1998)

Knowledge creation metaphor

Hakkarainen Kai (2008) Toward trialogical approach to learning.

B E R E I T E R ( 2 0 0 2 ) N O N A K A &

T A K E U C H I ( 1 9 9 5 ) E N G E S T R Ö M

( 1 9 8 7 )

Study about practice research course

Aino Kääriäinen (2012)

Data:

25/28 students wrote an essay about the experiences from the course.

1)Me as an researcher, 2) My professional identity 3) What did I learn, the benefits 4) Negative experiences 5) The participation of social work agency.

28 practice research reports.

27

• The goal is to develop professional identity towards reflective, research minded expertise.

• Practice research has mainly been a rewarding experience for social work students.

• Students need to be quite independent in conducting a piece of study but also able to collaborate with social workers and clients throughout the process.

• "My development towards professional social worker has been great. I feel that I can use my experience to develop my work later on in the future. The seeds of research have been planted in me."

• ”As an employer we greatly appreciate a social worker who is competent to make a study when needed, and is able to deal with various data at workplace. Hereby we feel better equipped for the uncertain future.”

28

Outcomes

Future challenges

Practice research course is a mutual effort of The Web of collaboration partners.

We have decided to focus during the next three year period on the common theme:

How to break off intergenerational social exclusion?

Practice research course is connected to the developmental work in social work agencies concerning that theme.

Developmental work in social work agencies are alinged with the strategies of involved cities.

29

PROF. MIRJA SATKA

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

HEIKKI WARIS INSTITUTE AT SOCCA

The viewpoint of researcher social workers in the Social Work Practice Research collaboration

relationships at Heikki Waris Institute

30

The research data

Focus group interviews of the recent reseacher social workers at HWI 2009-13.

Questionnairs filled by the same informants.

Content analysis of the R&D publications of the six most recent practice research projects completed by the same informants.

31

Two questions

32

1. What is practice research agency like from the viewpoint of a researcher social worker?

2. How have the researcher social workers experienced the relationship of research and developmental work in their daily practices?

Social work practice research agency

- the viewpoint of researcher social workers

Collaborative knowledge creation presumes:

1) Well-defined aims & tasks and supervision;

2) Stimulating, research-oriented and intellectually supportive environment with role models;

3) Possibility for dialogical exchange and pre-testing of the novel ideas in practice research communities;

4) Outcomes which inform and indicate the powers and possibilities for change in social practices.

33

Important events for meaningful personal learning as RSW

Some examples

1. Teaching social work students;

2. Experiencing the consequences of data gathering in the informants/participants’ life;

3. Experimenting change in the daily routines of a social welfare agency;

4. Struggles for balance between research tasks and developmental tasks.

34

R&D relationship in social work practice research

Finnish Practice Research commonly consists of developmental work and of research tasks.

How they become combined depends on the aims, the chosen theoretical – methodologiacal approach, and the intrests of the stakeholders.

35

R&D relationship in social work practice research process

The aims for R&D are different, also the role of the researcher social worker is varied when working with them;

In development phase the focus is on the relational matters and process management;

In research phase the work is focused on data processing, data analyses and writing in which - in the end - the whole process is typically re-reflected by the researcher social worker(s).

36

A way to future?

1. Methods of collaboration will expand and evolve; new collaborative

innovations will be discovered.

2. Collaboration with NGO’s is goig to strenghen.

3. Promotion of local democracy and dialogue between service users, social workers, and communities will be emphasized.

37

Thank you!

38

Mirja Satka

Kati Palsanen

Laura Yliruka

Aino Kääriäinen

Heidi Muurinen